Evansville SWAT and negotiators are on the scene of a standoff in the 1400 Block of S. Grand.
The incident began when police arrived to serve Felony Criminal Confinement and Felony Battery warrants on one of the residents.
Listen to Police scanners at www.Courierpress.com/crime

ERIN MCCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS
The Evansville Police Department SWAT team surround a home in the 1400 block of South Grand Avenue on Evansville’s south side on Wednesday night. The standoff which lasted nearly four hours occurred after officers tried to serve felony criminal confinement and battery warrants to John Cannon at the home. Cannon, who has a criminal history, refused to come out of the house and police believed he was heavily armed. The standoff ended when the Cannon who was hiding in a crawl space of the home surrendered to police.

John Ed Cannon, 33, held Evansville Police and SWAT in a standoff on May 15, 2013 for around three and a half hours. Cannon had been hiding in the crawl space of a residence at the 1400 block of South Grand Avenue, which he finally came out of after SWAT fired a second barrage of tear gas his way.

EVANSVILLE - A nearly four-hour standoff between a man believed to have been heavily armed and Evansville police ended shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday when he surrendered to officers.

John Cannon, 33, who had been hiding in the crawl space of the house in the 1400 block of South Grand Avenue, asked police to help him outside after officers fired a second barrage of tear gas into the white, frame residence.

He had been holed up there since a little before 6 p.m. when the department's SWAT team went to serve him with felony criminal confinement and battery warrants. When he refused to come out of the house, they surrounded the residence.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jason Cullum said Cannon has a criminal history and has threatened officers previously. He was believed, Cullum said, to have been armed with high-powered weapons and armor-piercing ammunition.

Because of that, police had ordered the evacuation of residents in the 1400 block of South Grand Avenue between Taylor and Jackson avenues.

A police negotiator had attempted to communicate with Cannon by phone and bullhorn without success, before tear gas was lobbed into the house.

Cullum said police were able to get an older woman, who he identified as Cannon's mother, out of the house before they used the chemical. The initial round of tear gas was unsuccessful in

Tommy Eaden, an employee with Time Warner Cable, was outside of a house filing paperwork as SWAT operators were readying to enter Cannon's residence.

"There was about seven of them all geared up. They used that big hammer to break the door down. They got that old lady out there — and boom!" Eaden said describing the first round of tear gas sent inside the home.

About 30 minutes after they initially showed up, Eaden said police asked him and residents of the surrounding homes to evacuate.

"Fortunately, it came to a peaceful end," Cullum said after police had arrested Cannon.

No one was injured during the standoff, however, Cannon will be treated for the chemical agents he was exposed to do when the multiple rounds of tear gas canisters were sent into the home.

Neighbors and curious onlookers congregated at the police perimeter during the four-hour standoff,.

"Thank God this is over. This isn't something we need in this area," said Barbara Willis, who said she lives just a block from the home.

Around 6:30 p.m., a young girl with tears welled up in her eyes held the hand of a neighbor and Cannon's friend.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. He ain't coming out for them," said the man, who asked to not be identified.

Other neighbors said Cannon was known to have an arsenal of weapons. "Everybody knows he's got a bunch of guns, though," one said.

As darkness had settled over the street, special lights were set up to illuminate the front of the house, located on east side of the street. Through the front door of the house, which was partially open, a couch and mirror were visible inside.

On the porch, a police robot, whose camera transmits images to a nearby mobile command center, was seen peering into the door.